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As on Monday, I’m outsourcing today’s post: I’m up at World Politics Review with a piece entitled “Security Vacuum Threatens Central African Republic’s Political Transition.” I consider some of the background to and implications of the recent rebel takeover in that country. If you read the piece, please let me know your reactions here in the comments.

“Faced with this grave situation, I appeal for the support of… Fomac and France, as impartial forces, to lead security operations in the city of Bangui and all the regions of our country,”

That sounds like a call for French military intervention. Former colonial powers have intervened in former colonies before, but to have a leader (or at least de jure leader) in one of those colonies openly request intervention is less common, especially considering that this isn’t too long after they pushed the last president out of power.
Given state weakness in the CAR and its tendency for rebellion he might be hoping that foreign soldiers might give him more actual power in the nation (especially if he’s on better terms with the West than with the locals with guns).

That’s definitely less ambiguous than I had remembered. Still sounds odd, though, given that Seleka clashed (bloodlessly, from what I could determine) with FOMAC during the push into Bangui. Sounds like the new PM is pretty alarmed though.

Fascinating piece on Ugandan politics. The source (an Ugandan journalist) of course means that there’s greater potential for both bias and accuracy. After all a local journalist has more opinions on politics and possible ties to Ugandan politicians, but at the same time more experience with Ugandan politics and greater insight than a foreigner writing on it for the first time.

Personally I can’t say, but so far Uganda has had three violent transitions of power (Amin, Obote and Museveni) several civil wars, serious corruption and (if the letter is real) fractures at the top. The chances for more serious conflict in Uganda’s future seems quite possible.